After hanging up the phone, Clint hurried back.
When he entered the house, the butler was startled. "Mr. Beckett, how come you're back? Didn't you say you had something important tonight and would be working late, not coming back?!"
Clint handed his coat to the butler without replying, and instead, asked in a low voice, "Has she come back?"
"She?!" The butler was confused. "Oh, Mrs. Beckett went to her family's home and hasn't returned for several days."
"Got it," Clint replied shortly, not saying more.
The butler couldn't read his mind, so he reported proactively, "Today, Miss Castano called the house. She said she needed to see you. I told her you weren't home, but she seemed skeptical, saying she called the Beckett Corp, and your secretary said you were at home. Is there some misunderstanding here?"
Clint didn't even turn his head, "Don't worry about it. Next time she calls, no matter whether I'm here or not, tell her I'm not home!"
"Huh?! Even if you're here, you want me to say you're not?" the butler asked, stunned.
"Yes!" Clint answered, his tone firm.
The butler dared not ask any further questions. He hurriedly responded and turned to hang the coat up properly.
Clint walked over to the couch, sat down, leaned back against the cushions, and massaged his temples. He then looked up at the antique clock on the wall.
Twenty-five minutes...
According to the position on the tracking system, it should take no longer than twenty minutes to reach his villa without delays.
His fingers tapped unconsciously on the soft couch, no sound, but his frustration grew with each passing second.
Twenty-nine minutes... His eyes narrowed, and a mocking smile curved his lips, "Well done, Serena. You've really grown! I speak, and you just ignore me!"
"Knock, knock, knock!" Suddenly, the door was knocked loudly.
Clint's gaze flickered, and he instinctively stood up.
The butler was already walking towards the door, muttering to himself, "Hmm? Who could this be at this hour? Could it really be Mrs. Beckett coming back?"
"Wait!" Clint called out just as the butler was about to reach the door.
The butler turned, "Mr. Beckett, is there anything you need?"
"You go rest, I'll open the door."
"You? Personally open the door?!" The butler was surprised.
"Yes, I'll do it. You go down first," Clint said, his expression serious as he suppressed his smile.
The butler dared not ask more and hurriedly nodded, then turned and went back to his room.
Clint unlocked the door, gripped the handle, and pulled it open.
The person outside raised her head, looking inside. "Good evening!"
As soon as Clint saw the visitor, his expression froze. "You... what are you doing here?!"
Poppy stepped into the house and answered, "I've been calling you, but you rarely pick up. I went to the company and couldn't find you, so I came here."
She shut the door behind her and Clint turned, walking away as he spoke, "Is there something urgent? I told you before, don't come here unless it's important."
"Clint!" Poppy quickly caught up, hugging his left arm, "What's been going on with you these days? I feel like you're avoiding me!"
"Avoiding?!" Clint's gaze flickered, his face expressionless. "You're overthinking it."
"If you're not avoiding me, then why don't you pick up my calls or return them?"
"I've been too busy, no time," he replied casually.
Poppy opened her mouth, ready to question him again, but was cut off by his cold voice. "Is there something you need?"
She quickly put on a smile, "If I didn't have anything, could I still come find you?"
Clint, unfazed, withdrew his arm from her grasp, "The company is listing, and there's a lot to handle. If it's not something urgent..."
"I just miss you!" Poppy sat down beside him, acting cute. "Clint, you've been so cold these days!"
"I've told you, I'm busy with work."
Seeing his bad mood, Poppy didn't press further, but sweetly reminded him, "You still need to take care of yourself! And about divorcing Serena, you need to deal with it quickly, so there's no more trouble."
Clint suddenly scoffed.
"What's wrong, Clint?" Poppy asked.
"Nothing. About the divorce... I've got it under control."
Poppy's face froze, a bad premonition filling her heart. She hurried forward, speaking softly, "Clint, I know you hate Serena! You've suffered for so many years, and now, you're finally getting to where you want. The enmity between the Knowles and Beckett families will finally end. Uncle Beckett must be smiling down from heaven, seeing you so strong."
The light in Clint's eyes flickered, and he suddenly grew solemn, falling silent as if lost in thought.
Seeing this, Poppy's heart lifted. She leaned in innocently, resting her head on his shoulder. "Clint, we've been through so much together. In this world, I'm the only one who will always be by your side. Only I love you the most."
She placed her hand back on his arm, holding it tightly to her chest.
This time, he didn't pull away.
A smug smile played on Poppy's lips as she glanced over at the wedding photo of Clint and Serena hanging on the wall. 'Serena, Clint is only mine, and always will be! If you think you can take him from me, dream on.'
The two of them sat closely together, appearing from afar as a loving couple.
The butler had been about to report something, but when he opened the door and saw the scene, he sighed softly and quietly closed it again.
After a while, the knock on the door came again, this time even more startling in the stillness of the room.
Clint's thoughts were interrupted by the knock, pulling him back to reality.
He turned quickly toward the door.
Could it be her returning?
He stood to go open the door, but his arm was firmly grabbed by Poppy.
She looked at him with concern and doubt. "Clint, who could it be at this hour?!"
Clint tugged his arm, "I'll go see."
"No!" Poppy refused to let go and pulled him back. "You're so tired lately. You stay here; I'll go!"
Without waiting for Clint to respond, she quickly walked toward the hallway.
"Knock, knock, knock!" The sound of the knocking continued, and she answered impatiently, "I'm coming, I'm coming, stop knocking."
The door opened, and both inside and outside the room looked up at each other.
For a moment, both sides clearly froze in shock.
***